Blanche needed to understand love!
The World Tree of Healing had urged Marronie to find love until the end. It was practically a sin to live without experiencing love. Several tis, it had pushed her to find soone she liked.
‘Love.’
What exactly was love?
Foolishly, she had almost no mory of loving soone. She hadn’t even had the chance to. She never thought about loving anyone.
‘What does love taste like?’
Marronie, sitting on a bench, drank grape-flavored Wilches and peered into the can. Was love sweet and fizzy like this? Or was it bitter, like the burnt crust of toast? Romance movies didn’t always end happily. So surely ended in tragedy. Maybe it was better not to love anyone at all if that’s the case. How could you know what love was if you had never experienced it? Wasn’t love sothing that naturally ca to you? Telling her to bring soone she liked all of a sudden was just overwhelming.
“Ugh.”
Love, yes, love. She’d love it if there was soone to love. What’s so great about it that people raved about it? She wanted to find out for herself.
Marronie once had dreams, too.
Like the heroine of a fairy tale, dressed in a wedding gown, being saved by a dashing knight, and living happily ever after together. It was a dream every girl in France had once embraced.
Every night, she hugged a teddy bear, waiting for her knight to co, glancing out the window every minute, only to fall asleep before 1 a.m.
-Mother.
-Yes?
-When will the knight co?
-Heh, Blanche, you’re so funny. Are you really that eager to et the knight?
-I want to et him before I beco an adult!
Her own knight.
Marronie had believed in Santa Claus and knights until she was seventeen. It was her own secret, one she had never told anyone. If that ever got out, she might just lose her will to live.
“Sigh…”
A deep breath escaped her lips.
“What’s wrong?”
Lee Shiheon spoke from a nearby bench. Marronie glanced over at his masked face.
‘…A prince on a white horse, huh.’
This guy wasn’t it. Not a prince on a white horse, but a scoundrel on a lecherous steed. He was far from the type of person she’d ever dream of, and soone she could never love. After all… He hadn’t just taken her purity but had treated her like a plaything all day. Even if she sohow loved this guy, it wouldn’t be pure love. It would just be lust without any true emotion.
Lee Shiheon’s mask. The face behind it. His scent. His touch. The rough texture of his skin.
Thump.
Marronie rubbed her heated cheeks with both hands.
Flush.
Her face turned red.
“Ugh.”
…It was happening again.
Her heart beat every ti she saw his face. Her body reacted. Just being near him made her breathing shallow, and her heart pound. Her cheeks felt hot. After eting him, she couldn’t sleep that night because she kept thinking about it.
“…Hey.”
“What?”
But.
That’s why she was more curious. Did he know what love was? If so, what did he think of it?
He didn’t seem like the type to understand love, seeing won as nothing but objects. But still, they had gotten closer recently, and she trusted he would answer honestly.
“What… is love?”
Marronie’s sudden question created an awkward atmosphere due to her blushing cheeks. Lee Shiheon’s face stiffened like stone. What nonsense was she spouting all of a sudden? It was ti to think seriously.
“…What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
“Oh, co on! There’s a reason. Just answer . What is it?”
It felt like an old movie scene, the kind that followed a scripted pattern. The kind of cringey scene that belonged in the 80s or 90s, full of over-the-top emotions. But those lines only worked when the mood and setting were right.
“Why are you bringing this up when we’re talking about flowers?”
“…It just ca to mind.”
“From looking at flowers?”
“I have no one in mind. End of story.”
That put an end to it. Shiheon tilted his head, lost in thought for a mont.
“Do you have soone you like?”
“No.”
What was love? Shiheon was thrown into a dilemma by Marronie’s sudden question, unsure how to respond. But he couldn’t just ignore it either. He searched his mories and realized he had a standard after all.
“I can’t say for sure, but maybe if you’d die for soone, you could call that love.”
The values he’d ford starting with Lee Seyeong and Jin Dallae. Marronie nodded slightly at Shiheon’s answer. It was a pretty solid standard. Soone worth dying for. But if that’s the case, does that an a national tree would have to die for France? Does that imply unconditional love?
When she ntioned that, Shiheon grimaced.
“Nah, it’s not like that.”
“What do you an?”
“It’s hard to explain…”
Shiheon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. His expression… no, never mind. Marronie stared at Shiheon’s face and burst out laughing, feeling a little absurd.
“…So, you do think about things like that?”
“Of course, I do.”
He had several girlfriends, after all.
“Have you never experienced anything like that?”
At Shiheon’s question, Marronie bit her lip and glared at him.
“…You know from that ti.”
She never had the experience.
“Ah.”
Shiheon bowed his head in quiet reflection, recalling how she had lost her virginity without love. They pretended as if it never happened, but the mory still lingered in their bodies. Though their mories were hazy, their bodies knew. Marronie couldn’t even touch Shiheon. If she did, it might result in another disaster like before.
….
As the topic returned to the past, a deep silence settled between them.
No matter how far things went last ti…
…Wasn’t she moving too fast?
“This ti, you helped , so I’ll help you with your trial.”
Just for that reason?
“Aren’t we in this together?”
Searching for the flower—that phrase lingered, but strangely, the rest of Shiheon’s words didn’t quite reach Marronie’s ears.
Thump, thump.
Her heart hurt. Her head felt dizzy.
“…O-okay. Got it.”
Marronie, who was even stuttering, nodded her head. Her ears were so hot they felt like they were burning. Maybe it was ti to start preparing. The toes inside her shoes wiggled.
She found herself laughing at her sudden thoughts.
Really, was she…
No, that’s not it.
Why was she thinking like this about a guy like him?
“Oh, but let’s set it for about three days later.”
“…Why?”
“Huh?”
“No, why?”
Shiheon, startled by Marronie’s sowhat rough reaction, quickly corrected his expression.
“I’ll be skipping the second trial soon anyway.”
Just like Marronie, Shiheon was also going through his second trial. Their mutual interests had continued up until now. With fertilizer, water, and constant massages, he had first taken control of the upper branches. The second trial involved taking control of the body. He had left his presence embedded in the tree nad rri.
“After that, I’ll have so free ti, so let’s do it then.”
His dating simulation was steadily nearing its conclusion.
[…It feels refreshing.]
“Feels good, right?”
[Yeah. For a human, you’re pretty decent.]
rri, who was receiving a massage, happily stretched her branches. It was akin to a human stretching their body after a good rest. The massages had gradually increased in frequency, to the point where she now demanded four or five sessions a day.
Once in the morning. Twice during lunch. Twice in the evening. Once at dawn. She didn’t consider my schedule at all, calling whenever she felt like it, solely because it made her feel good.
-…Lee Shiheon?
-Yes.
-Lady rri is calling for you.
Even if I was asleep, I had to jump up and get ready imdiately. I had to be superhuman in front of rri, always in top condition, no matter when she called. I always wore a friendly smile so she wouldn’t realize how much I was pushing myself.
“Does the water taste good today?”
[Hmm~ If only all humans were like you, wouldn’t that be nice?]
High praise.
[Take care of my leaves.]
The more she relied on , the larger the void would feel in her absence.
[…My roots are feeling a bit itchy. And I’m getting a little thirsty too.]
With utmost sincerity. If I kept doing this, eventually the mont would co.
[Fertilizer? Lee Shiheon~ Lee Shiheon!]
The opportunity was coming.
Swoosh.
Just like this.
As I saw the pure white magical stamp falling between the branches, a smile spread across my face.
“Uh… Lady rri, what is this?”
rri glanced at the stamp nonchalantly and smiled. At this point, there was no hint of disdain in her. But it was already too late. If she had acted like this from the start, I would’ve approached things in a more normal manner.
[Oh, that? It’s nothing special. It’s a stamp for passing the trial.]
“…So, that ans…”
[Oh, your friend. Lim Jonghyun passed.]
It was a little over a week ago when I encountered that stamp. Up until now, I had been doing everything for her: catering to her tastes, giving massages, providing nourishnt, and even taking care of her roots. I was so much better than the assigned caretaker that she called for at every opportunity.
Yes, this was the mont.
The perfect ti to express my displeasure.
“…Is that so?”
I responded with a voice filled with shock, trembling at the end of my words. I acted to make myself seem as pitiful and anxious as possible, hoping it would be unsettling for her.
[Yeah~ If you do well, who knows? Maybe you’ll get sothing like that too.]
rri still hadn’t grasped the seriousness of the situation. If that’s a talent, then it’s her talent. I removed my mask, my face pale, my hands trembling. I acted as if I had just suffered a great humiliation.
Still, I didn’t stop what I was doing. Just a little less enthusiastically. I finished the task half-heartedly.
[…Hmm?]
Around that point, rri began to sense sothing was off.
[What’s wrong with you? Why are your hands so weak?]
“…It’s nothing.”
[What, are you upset because I let your friend pass?]
That’s it. I wanted her to notice that.
Once she did, rri would be annoyed and speak in a tone that would destroy all the goodwill she had built up until now.
[Ha, you’re ridiculous. You’re upset over sothing like that? Can soone inferior like you even feel that way?]
I stayed silent. This ti, I didn’t respond at all.
[Hey.]
I didn’t even et her gaze.
[Hey!]
rri’s voice grew louder.
[This is insane, isn’t it? Hey.]
[You’re funny. That guy is chosen. You’re not. Ha, I thought you were a cut above the rest of the humans. Turns out you’re just one of them. Did you know that? Are you listening?!]
Timing it right, I lowered my head slightly. At that point, rri must have thought I’d cald down. Her branches shook triumphantly.
“…It seems I can’t satisfy you, Lady rri.”
I said in a defeated tone.
[…Huh? What?]
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to make you happy… but.”
[Hey, what are you-]
“…I’m sorry. It’s just my inferiority complex.”
Still, I didn’t stop what I was doing. I packed up the water container, slung the empty fertilizer bag over my shoulder, and left the room.
rri, stunned, didn’t say a word. That was enough.
‘Now the rest… is freedom.’
She would start panicking on her own. Only when soone was gone did they realize their value. This was the perfect lesson for an oblivious young lady.
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